Marker feed conduit for illuminating paintballs

ABSTRACT

A paintball marker feed conduit for illuminating paintballs, comprising an inlet end for coupling relative to a paintball hopper, an outlet end for coupling relative to a paintball marker body, and a contained path between the inlet and outlet, the feed conduit being arranged to house a plurality of paintballs in single file and supply said paintballs in succession from the hopper to the paintball marker body inside which a foremost one of said paintballs rests ready for firing from the marker, wherein the feed conduit includes a light mounted to shine light directly onto said foremost paintball to charge the paintball while resting inside the paintball marker body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a marker feed conduit for illuminating paintballs. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a paintball marker feed conduit for illuminating paintballs including a removable illumination attachment which is able to be fitted to the paintball marker for night play.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has been previously proposed to provide a device and method for illuminating luminescent paintballs, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,278,417. The present applicant has identified that there are various drawbacks associated with previously proposed devices for illuminating paintballs.

For example, the applicant has identified that previous paintball illumination devices use a reflective material inside to help charge the luminescent paintballs, and that this results in a disadvantage in that if paintballs break inside the unit it will cause the reflective material to dull such that the paintballs are no longer charged efficiently or at all. Furthermore, the present applicant has identified that previously proposed devices do not always provide sufficient illumination of the paintballs, particularly where the paintball marker is not fired for a relatively long period.

Examples of the invention seek to solve, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of previously proposed paintball illumination devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paintball marker feed conduit for illuminating paintballs, comprising an inlet end for coupling relative to a paintball hopper, an outlet end for coupling relative to a paintball marker body, and a contained path between the inlet and outlet, the feed conduit being arranged to house a plurality of paintballs in single file and supply said paintballs in succession from the hopper to the paintball marker body inside which a foremost one of said paintballs rests ready for firing from the marker, wherein the feed conduit includes a light mounted to shine light directly onto said foremost paintball to charge the paintball while resting inside the paintball marker body.

Preferably, the feed conduit is in the form of an assembly including a removable illumination attachment to which the light is mounted, whereby the attachment is able to be fitted to the paintball marker for night play requiring paintball illumination and removed from the paintball marker for day play not requiring paintball illumination.

In a preferred example, the, light is in the form of an LED. More preferably, the light is in the form of an ultra bright LED.

Preferably, the paintball marker includes a second, additional LED oriented to shine light in a direction angled relative to the direction of light shone by the first LED. More preferably, the second LED is oriented substantially perpendicularly relative to the first LED.

Preferably, the assembly is arranged such that the light shines directly onto the foremost paintball through a window.

In a preferred example, the removable attachment is waterproof to facilitate internal and/or external cleaning of the conduit.

It is preferred that the LED is arranged to flicker to reduce energy consumption from a battery of the feed conduit.

Preferably, the illuminating attachment is adapted to be retro-fitted to an existing non-illuminating feed elbow to form the feed conduit.

In a preferred example, the paintball marker feed conduit includes a safety switch to automatically switch off the light in the event the attachment is removed from the paintball marker.

Preferably, one of the LEDs is adapted to continue illuminating in the event the other of the LEDs fails.

Preferably, the paintball marker feed conduit includes an external on/off switch for switching off the light. More preferably, the on/off switch is magnetic or wireless.

In a preferred example, the paintball marker feed conduit includes a dimmed tell-tale illumination indicator to indicate to a user when the light is in operation.

Preferably, the paintball marker feed conduit includes an interchangeable battery housing which is interchangeable with other like battery housings.

Preferably, the paintball marker feed conduit is arranged such that the foremost paintball illuminating in the breach is visible from a distal end of a barrel of the paintball marker. More preferably, the paintball marker feed conduit is arranged such that the foremost paintball illuminating is the only illumination from the light visible to players other than the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paintball marker feed conduit in accordance with an example of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an outlined transparent perspective view of the paintball marker feed conduit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the paintball marker feed conduit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a paintball marker fitted with the paintball marker feed conduit;

FIG. 5 is a front end view of the paintball marker fitted with the paintball marker feed conduit;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the paintball marker fitted with the paintball marker feed conduit;

FIG. 7 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the paintball marker feed conduit;

FIG. 8 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the paintball marker feed conduit;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the paintball marker feed conduit;

FIG. 10 shows detail of the paintball marker feed conduit fitted to the paintball marker by way of fastening screws;

FIG. 11 shows detail of a bolt for fastening the paintball marker feed conduit to the paintball marker;

FIG. 12 shows an inner side view of the paintball marker feed conduit fitted to the paintball marker;

FIG. 13 is an outlined transparent perspective view of the paintball marker feed conduit fitted to the paintball marker;

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of paintball marker feed conduit; and

FIG. 15 shows the paintball marker feed conduit of FIG. 14 when assembled and fitted to a paintball marker.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 14, there is shown a paintball marker feed conduit 10 for illuminating luminescent paintballs. The paintball marker feed conduit 10 includes an inlet end 12 for coupling relative to a paintball hopper, and outlet end 14 for coupling relative to a paintball marker body 16, and a contained path between the inlet end 12 and the outlet end 14, the feed conduit 10 being arranged to house a plurality of paintballs in single file and supply said paintballs in succession from the hopper (not shown) to the paintball marker body 16. A foremost one of said paintballs rests inside the paintball marker body 16, ready for firing from the paintball marker 20. The paintball marker feed conduit 10 includes a light 22 mounted to shine light directly onto said foremost paintball to charge the paintball while resting inside the paintball marker body 16.

Advantageously, as the light is mounted, to shine directly onto the foremost paintball to charge the luminescent paintball while resting inside the paintball marker body 16 ready for firing from the marker 20, the foremost paintball is charged immediately prior to firing, and therefore discharge of the paintballs prior to firing is prevented. Accordingly, this example of the present invention reduces or obviates the possibility of paintballs being fired from the paintball marker 20 with little or no illumination.

The feed conduit 10 is in the form of an assembly including a removable illumination attachment 24 to which the light 22 is mounted. The attachment 24 is able to be fitted to the paintball marker 20 for night play requiring paintball illumination, and is able to be removed from the paintball marker 20 for day play not requiring paintball illumination. By virtue of the ability of the illumination attachment 24 to be removed from the paintball marker 20, damage to the illumination attachment 24 during day play is able to be eliminated. FIGS. 1 to 5 show that the removable illumination attachment 24 is coupled to an existing elbow 26 to form the illuminating paintball marker feed conduit 10. The outlined transparent view in FIG. 2 shows the mounting of a battery 28 within the removable illumination attachment 24. FIG. 3 shows the forward and rearward surfaces of the removable illumination attachment 24 being angled to be parallel with an angle of a handgrip 30 of the paintball marker 20.

FIG. 6 shows detail of one light in the form of a first LED 32, and another light in the form of a second LED 34. Both of the first and second LEDs are in the form of ultra bright LEDs, which have been found by the applicant to shine sufficiently brightly to adequately charge the luminescent paintballs. The second LED 34 is oriented substantially perpendicularly relative to the first LED 32. As depicted most clearly in FIG. 8, the first LED is directed to shine light in a horizontal direction (when the paintball marker 20 is level) so as to shine light directly upon the foremost paintball resting in the breach of the paintball marker 20, ready for firing. The second LED is oriented to shine light substantially vertically (when the paintball marker 20 is level).

Referring to FIG. 7, a window 36 protects the first and second LEDs 32, 34, which illuminate the paintballs through the window 36. The window 36 is arranged to fill a slot formed in the sidewall of the elbow 26. As such, an existing non-illuminating elbow may be adapted for use with the removable illumination attachment 24 by simply forming a slot in the sidewall of the elbow at the location shown in FIG. 7. The window 36 is able to be cleaned by simply wiping same, either by reaching in through the inlet end 12 of the feed conduit 10, or by removing the illumination attachment 24. The removable attachment 24 is preferably waterproof to facilitate internal and/or external cleaning of the feed conduit 10. The LEDs 32, 34 may be arranged to flicker rapidly at a predetermined flicker rate so as to reduce energy consumption from the battery 28 of the feed conduit 10. The LEDs may also be adapted such that one of the LEDs 32, 34 continues illuminating in the event the other of the LEDs 32, 34 fails, so as to maintain operation of the paintball marker feed conduit 10 to at least some extent during malfunction or component failure.

As shown in FIG. 9, the paintball marker feed conduit 10 may include an external on/off switch 38 for switching the light on and off. The on/off switch 38 may be magnetic or wireless to restrict operation by the holder of a magnetic key or a remote operation by wireless communication. FIGS. 10 and 11 show mounting points at which the removable illumination attachment 24 may be fitted to the elbow 26 by way of screws 40 and a neck bolt 42.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show inner side views of the paintball marker feed conduit 10, illustrating a panel 44 which is able to be removed to access the battery 28 for replacement of same. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 13 the battery compartment may be formed inside a unitary component of the removable illumination attachment 24. Alternatively, such as in the example shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the battery 28 may be housed in a separate housing 46 which is interchangeable with other like battery housings. This example, illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15 also shows a main cover 48 having the on/off switch 38 and a transparent section to indicate to the operator whether power is on or off. A circuit board 50 is arranged with preset LED distances, and is fitted inside an LED housing 52 which is sealed by the main cover 48. A main body housing 54 is able to be locked to the elbow 26 by way of the existing screws 40. Advantageously, the interchangeable battery compartment facilitates changing of the battery 28 quickly and easily during use in the field. The battery housing is simply slid onto the LED housing 52 via a “dovetail” rail by which it is locked into position.

Advantageously, the manner in which the circuit board 50 fits inside the LED housing 52 which is sealed by the main cover 48 may make the housing waterproof. The battery 28 in the housing 46 may be a 9 volt battery, and the interchangeability of the battery compartment enables it to be used with different night elbow assemblies.

In a preferred example, the paintball marker feed conduit 10 is arranged such that the foremost paintball illuminating in the breach is visible from a distal end 54 of a barrel 56 of the paintball marker 20. In a particular example, the conduit 10 is arranged such that the foremost paintball illuminating is the only illumination from the light 22 visible to players other than the user. Foam and/or rubber may be placed between the conduit 10 and the paintball marker body 16 to avoid any extra light being projected. In particular, the applicant has identified that such light can prevent the user from seeing properly as the intense light can be distracting, and can also allow the user to be noticed by other players.

The paintball marker feed conduit 10 is preferably manufactured from robust material such that it is capable of withstanding knocks and bumps when used commercially, for example when used at a venue where the units are repeatedly hired to casual users who may show a lack of care. The applicant has determined that existing paintball marker feeds can be insufficiently strong such that they are vulnerable to damage.

Examples of paintball marker feed conduits may be suitable for various types of markers, which have similar feed systems but slightly different shapes or attaching mechanisms. For example, although the example shown in the drawings has an illumination attachment which is removable from the feed elbow, in other examples the illumination part and feed elbow may be formed integrally as a single unit (ie. a one-piece unit including the elbow) which may be adapted to fit different types of markers.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. 

1. A paintball marker feed conduit for illuminating paintballs, comprising an inlet end for coupling relative to a paintball hopper, an outlet end for coupling relative to a paintball marker body, and a contained path between the inlet and outlet, the feed conduit being arranged to house a plurality of paintballs in single file and supply said paintballs in succession from the hopper to the paintball marker body inside which a foremost one of said paintballs rests ready for firing from the marker, wherein the feed conduit includes a light mounted to shine light directly onto said foremost paintball to charge the paintball while resting inside the paintball marker body.
 2. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feed conduit is in the form of an assembly including a removable illumination attachment to which the light is mounted, whereby the attachment is able to be fitted to the paintball marker for night play requiring paintball illumination and removed from the paintball marker for day play not requiring paintball illumination.
 3. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light is in the form of an LED.
 4. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the light is in the form of an ultra bright LED.
 5. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 3, including a second, additional LED oriented to shine light in a direction angled relative to the direction of light shone by the first LED.
 6. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second LED is oriented substantially perpendicularly relative to the first LED.
 7. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the assembly is arranged such that the light shines directly onto the foremost paintball through a window.
 8. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the removable attachment is waterproof to facilitate internal and/or external cleaning of the conduit.
 9. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the LED is arranged to flicker to reduce energy consumption from a battery of the feed conduit.
 10. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the illuminating attachment is adapted to be retro-fitted to an existing non-illuminating feed elbow to form the feed conduit.
 11. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 2, including a safety switch to automatically switch off the light in the event the attachment is removed from the paintball marker.
 12. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 5, wherein one of the LEDs is adapted to continue illuminating in the even the other of the LEDs fails.
 13. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 1, including an external on/off switch for switching off the light.
 14. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 13, wherein the on/off switch is magnetic or wireless.
 15. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 1, including a dimmed tell-tale illumination indicator to indicate to a user when the light is in operation.
 16. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 1, including an interchangeable battery housing which is interchangeable with other like battery housings.
 17. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 1, arranged such that the foremost paintball illuminating in the breach is visible from a distal end of a barrel of the paintball marker.
 18. A paintball marker feed conduit as claimed in claim 17, arranged such that the foremost paintball illuminating is the only illumination from the light visible to players other than the user.
 19. (canceled) 